


Impure Thoughts

by MissAnneThrope



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst, Dream Sex, F/M, Humor, Resolved Sexual Tension, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-22 23:18:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18537490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissAnneThrope/pseuds/MissAnneThrope
Summary: Scully invites Mulder to Easter Sunday dinner. An unexpected dream forces her to confront her changing feelings for him. Set in season 5.





	Impure Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MonikaFileFan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonikaFileFan/gifts).



> My submission for the X-Files Easter Fanfic Exchange (2019), written for MonikaFileFan. The prompt was Scully giving up something for Lent that relates to Mulder. Full disclosure - this is the first piece of fan fiction I've ever published, so I know it's likely not of the quality some readers are accustomed to. I really enjoyed the challenge though and loved flexing my creative muscles. Go easy on me, I'm still learning! Hope you enjoy it!! Cheers :-)

**Thursday**

Scully stepped out of the elevator and started down the darkened hallway to Mulder’s office. It was a path she’d walked a million times. Sometimes surefooted and full of confidence, as she was the first time she ventured down four years earlier. She was the young agent assigned to keep tabs on Fox Mulder, the self-dubbed “FBI’s Most Unwanted.” At the beginning she felt superiority to Mulder, bolstered by her scientific and medical background, and assumed that her time working with him on the X-Files would be short-lived. Now here she was, four years later, still working with him and finding it hard to imagine her career or life any other way. Together they’d solved dozens of cases that no one else in the Bureau, or the country for that matter, could tackle. They were the perfect team, their world views and personalities ideal complements to each other. Scully’s rigorous and methodical approach kept Mulder grounded and focused, while his openness to any and all possibilities taught her that certain mysteries of the universe cannot be explained scientifically. 

Besides their professional relationship, they’d formed an impermeable friendship; a bond neither of them had anticipated, but one which had carried them through a lifetime’s worth of trials already. Death, disease, doubt, betrayal – none were matches for the relationship they shared. This morning, Scully found herself feeling less confident as she approached Mulder’s office. After all they’d been through together, it felt ridiculous to be nervous about asking him such a simple question. 

_It’s just a dinner invite…_ she thought to herself as she reached his door. Why was her stomach in knots? She stood off to the side of the door, which was wide open. She needed to steel herself a bit more before she went in. Sunlight flooded through the doorway. For such a subterranean space, it got an incredible amount of natural light. She couldn’t see Mulder yet, nor he her, but at that moment she heard his voice from inside the room.

“The jury is still out on the validity of extrasensory perception, or ESP. J.B. Rhine extensively researched the so-called sixth sense at Duke University in the 1930s, though his work failed to produce a viable theory to explain it.”

Scully slowly rounded the corner and tapped on the door with her knuckle.

“Oh hey, come on in,” said Mulder, turning around to greet her. He had that impish smile on his face that had always secretly made her a bit weak in the knees. He held a small pile of papers in one hand, a pen in the other. “I’m just working on a guest lecture I’m giving next week at Georgetown.” He was in his element and Scully loved it. He could talk about a topic that interested him for days on end and not skip a beat. Not only that, he made it engaging so that people wanted to lean in and listen. He’d have made a brilliant professor, Scully often thought, the kind of professor that inspires students to pursue equally successful careers and change their chosen field forever. Though she also thought – perhaps slightly selfishly – that he was much better suited to his career at the FBI. He was far too extroverted for academia anyway.

“ESP, huh? Did you know I was coming down the hall just now?” said Scully with a cheeky grin.

“Don’t need a sixth sense to know you’re on your way. You always end up down here eventually.”

“When’s the lecture?”

“Next Wednesday, in the afternoon. It’s a class of third year psych students taking a course on parapsychology. The professor’s one of my old buddies from university and he asked me if I’d come in and talk to them.”

“Good for you Mulder! Are you going to tell them about the X-Files?”

“Maybe next time…don’t want to freak them out _too_ much.” 

Scully giggled. She figured now was as good a time as any to ask Mulder what she’d come down to ask him.

“Hey, do you have any plans for this weekend?” It was Easter coming up in a few days. Scully had talked on the phone with her mom a couple of days earlier and she had told her she was welcome to invite Mulder to their Easter Sunday dinner if he was in town. Scully mulled it over for a couple of minutes, not sure if she would feel comfortable with him there amongst her family in such an intimate setting. Then she realized she was being silly and told her mom she’d invite him. The moment she hung up the phone, she felt her stomach twist in anxiety, just as it had while she walked down the hallway to Mulder’s office a few minutes earlier. She couldn’t understand it. They saw each other on a daily basis and she knew him better than probably anyone else in his life, and vice versa. Deep in her heart she was beginning to recognize that her feelings for Mulder were more than purely platonic and friendly. Right now though, she couldn’t handle the gravity of that realization.

“No, not really. I was just gonna hang around at home, probably work on my lecture some more. Nothing too exciting.”

“Well...I was talking to my mom the other day and she’s extended an invitation to you for Easter dinner at her house, if you’re up for it.”

“Oh wow, yeah, that’d be great. Thanks Scully! Count me in.”

“Great!”

* * *

That night Scully stood in front of her bathroom mirror, brushing her teeth. Despite her anxiety about inviting him, she was looking forward to dinner on Sunday. Her feelings for Mulder were undoubtedly changing, but that didn’t mean that things had to be awkward between them. It was all within her control. Her family had all met him, so she didn’t have to worry about the tension that often accompanies first-time meetings. She knew her brother Bill wasn’t a huge fan of Mulder (a feeling that was fairly mutual on Mulder’s end), but he wasn’t a fan of a lot of people. He had an attitude problem that had gone unaddressed for many years. If he tried to make Mulder uncomfortable or put him on the spot, Scully was prepared to shut him down quickly. She hoped he wouldn’t dare pull anything like that this weekend.

Scully replaced her toothbrush in its cup on the counter and ripped off a length of dental floss. She realized that she was treating this whole situation as though Mulder were a boyfriend she was bringing home for the first time; someone whom she wanted her family to love and approve of. 

_What if he doesn’t feel the same way?_

The question hit her out of nowhere and she felt an inexplicable combination of dread and sadness. That’s when she realized her thoughts were becoming obsessive and she needed to stop. She finished up her bedtime routine, told herself to calm down and went to bed.

* * *

Scully sat next to Mulder in Assistant Director Skinner’s office. They’d sat there together countless times, receiving assignments and giving case debriefings. Something felt different this time but Scully couldn’t put her finger on it. Skinner was talking but she was only half listening. She heard something about the federal budget, but it barely registered. All of a sudden, she felt something touch her hand and it startled her. She looked down and discovered it was Mulder’s hand. She looked up at him, mouth agape. He only smiled back at her.

_Oh my God, this is a dream…and I want to see where it goes._

Scully had only had lucid dreams a couple of times before and never one with Mulder in it. 

Skinner’s voice and form gradually faded into a blur in the background as Mulder held her hand. She wrapped her fingers around his, feeling an electricity course through her like she’d never felt before. Mulder reached across and gently stroked her cheek. She leaned in and nuzzled him, unable to contain a smile. This was everything she’d been wanting for so long, even if it was only a dream. Mulder looked absolutely gorgeous. He stood up, still holding Scully’s hand, and she followed. Placing his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him, he leaned down and kissed her. His lips were full and pillowy soft. Scully felt light as air. In that moment, no one else existed in the entire world except for the two of them. She pressed into the kiss more passionately, running her fingers through Mulder’s thick, dark hair. Time seemed to slow down and she could feel every inch of her body preparing for what was to come.

Mulder unbuttoned her black blazer, guiding it off her shoulders. As he untucked her sheer white blouse from the matching black pencil skirt, she undid his belt and trousers. He was hard as a rock and she could feel the blood rushing to her nether regions in anticipation. Scully was getting hot and bothered and, as much as she was enjoying the slow and steady strip down, she couldn’t wait much longer to have Mulder inside of her. She undid the first couple of buttons on her blouse, pulled it over her head and practically in the same instant unclasped her bra and threw it to the floor. Mulder took the hint and quickly removed the rest of his clothes as Scully did the same.

Admiring each other’s naked bodies, there was a mutual reverence. This wasn’t just fooling around. They were about to make love. Mulder was completely mesmerized by Scully’s pert breasts. Her 34-Cs fit perfectly in his hands as he cupped them. She put her hands on his taut bum as he kissed her neck. His penis pressed up against her torso. She was getting wetter by the second. As if reading each other’s minds, they both started for the couch on the other side of the room. Scully lay down and spread her legs wide. Mulder positioned himself at the other end of the couch facing her. Lifting her legs up onto his shoulders, he dove in to pleasure her. His tongue navigated her vulva like an explorer at sea; every inch a new discovery, a new vista to claim as his own.

He ran the tip of his tongue up and down her inner lips, savouring her sweet taste. She moaned softly, giving him the green light he needed to continue. He sped up, adding some side-to-side motions that elicited louder moaning. Finally he went for the golden orb. He circled her clit, varying the speed and pressure as he went. Scully was in complete ecstasy. She clutched the cushions as she began to get close. Mulder felt like he was about to burst himself. He had a primal, animal need to be inside of her. His tongue flicked her clitoris and he felt her body tense up as she climaxed, screaming in bliss. As she lay motionless, washed over by waves of pleasure, Mulder leaned down, kissed her and repositioned himself on top of her. He slowly entered her as their eyes met. Scully lifted her pelvis to drive him even deeper in as he began to thrust. Breathing became heavier as they found their rhythm. Sweat dripped from Mulder’s forehead onto Scully’s chest as he went harder and faster. As he looked down at her beautiful face and her perfect breasts once again, he lost all control and exploded. Still inside of her, he lowered himself down on top of her and they shared a tender kiss. The moment was interrupted by an odd buzzing sound, faint at first, then louder and louder.

“Mulder, what’s that sound?”

* * *

**Good Friday**

 

The alarm clock’s shrill beeping lifted Scully abruptly out of her sleep. She was disoriented for a few seconds as the dream she’d been having felt so unbelievably real. It was as if she had been taken from one reality and dropped into another. Much to her surprise, her panties were wet. She’d had the odd sex dream in the past, but never had she woken up to find that she was aroused. As she showered, her thoughts raced.

_How am I going to face Mulder at work? And what about Sunday?! Will he know somehow? What if ESP really does exist and he can read my mind? Does this dream mean I’ve failed Lent?_

This year, as with any year when Scully couldn’t think of anything tangible to give up for Lent, she had committed to giving up all impure thoughts. They didn’t necessarily have to be just sexual in nature, though the majority of impure thoughts do fall into that category. Did this dream mean that she’d broken her Lenten promise? Surely not. After all, she reasoned, she didn’t choose to dream about Mulder, especially not in that way. She could blame her subconscious. She wondered what Freud might think of this conundrum. Scully held the cross she wore around her neck between her fingers and said a silent prayer. She apologized for possibly failing Lent and then asked God for the strength and courage to confront her true feelings for Mulder.

* * *

Assistant Director Skinner had scheduled a meeting with Mulder and Scully for 9:30 AM. Mulder looked at his watch and it was 9:00.

“I’m going across the street to grab coffee before the meeting. Want to come?”

“Sure!” said Scully.

They crossed busy Pennsylvania Avenue and walked to the Starbucks a couple of blocks over. Scully felt a tad paranoid and hoped that it wasn’t obvious in any way. As they waited in line to order their coffee, she decided to get her mind off her paranoia and asked Mulder how his lecture was coming along. 

“I think I’ll get it done by tomorrow. I’m feeling pretty good about it.”

“It sounds like it’ll be great.”

“Thanks Scully. Oh yeah, I meant to ask, is there anything I can bring to dinner on Sunday? A bottle of wine, a dessert?”

“No, no, don’t worry about a thing. My mother will just be happy that you can make it.”

“You sure?”

“Trust me.”

“Someone once told me ‘Trust no one.’” Mulder said with a grin as he proceeded to order and pay for their coffees.

Scully giggled. He always had the perfect witty remark. She loved their flirty exchanges; they were often the highlight of her day. As he walked over to put some cream in his coffee, Scully’s eyes automatically went to his butt. Before she could stop herself, she was thinking about how firm his buns were when she squeezed them in her dream.

_No, no, no, not this thought, not right now._

She immediately averted her gaze in another direction.

“Scully, what are you looking at?” asked Mulder as he turned around to find her looking out the front window of the café.

“Oh, nothing. I just saw a bird fly really close to the window…”

_A bird?? What are you talking about?! Get it together Dana, you’re a grown woman._

* * *

Back at FBI Headquarters, they sat in Skinner’s office, exactly as they had in the previous night’s dream. Scully had certainly felt uncomfortable in this chair at various times over the years, but never quite as much as this. Keeping the impure thoughts at bay was proving next to impossible. It seemed everything she did today was leading her down the Devil’s path.

“Good morning Agent Mulder, Agent Scully,” Skinner greeted them in his usual stern tone. “I know we’d all like to get out of here for Easter weekend as early as possible, so I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to bring you up to speed on the next case you’ll be working on.”

He presented them each with a brown file folder with the signature “X” marked on the front.

“There have been two unexplained deaths at a sleep clinic in Minneapolis in the past three months. Autopsies were unable to confirm cause of death in either of the cases, so they were ruled medical anomalies. We think there might be more to it. I’d like you to fly out there as soon as possible next week to investigate.”

“I’m teaching a lecture at Georgetown next Wednesday, but I could fly out that night. Scully you want to go ahead of me?”

“Yeah, I can fly out Tuesday, do a bit of the preliminary stuff.” She could hardly believe her ears. An X-File about sleep? Now she was convinced the universe wanted her to fail in her attempt to make it to Easter without thinking impure thoughts. What else could all of this possibly mean? Usually Scully would have a logical explanation at the ready for these sorts of coincidences, but right now she was at a loss. She hated when reason fell short. It frustrated and confused her.

“Okay, thank you agents. I’ll see you next week. Have a great weekend and Happy Easter to you both.”

“Happy Easter, sir,” they both replied, getting up to leave.

They made their way down the hall to the elevators.

“This should be an interesting one…”said Mulder, leafing through the case file.

“Yeah, for sure,” Scully replied flatly. She was still preoccupied with the series of unlikely events that had precipitated in the past 12 hours.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he pushed the down button.

“Sorry, I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m just a bit tired.” She hated lying but now was not the time or the place to talk to him about what was really on her mind. The doors opened and they stepped into the elevator. Scully pressed the button for the main floor, Mulder for the basement.

“TGIF, right?” said Mulder.

“ _Oh_ yeah…So, I’ll see you Sunday around 5:30? You remember my mom’s address?”

“I think so. I’ll give you a call if I get lost.”

“Great. See you then!” Scully waved to him as she stepped off on the first floor.

“See ya!” Mulder replied as the doors closed.

* * *

**Easter Sunday**

It was 4:30 PM and Scully was finishing up getting ready for dinner. She was wearing a light green sleeveless dress with a white button-up sweater. She looked sexy, but still classy. She applied her lipstick – a rosy red shade – and considered how the evening might go. She was sure it would go smoothly. 

_Everyone will arrive and visit over appetizers. Then we’ll eat dinner. Everyone will get along. Mulder is charming and funny and if Bill says anything stupid, I’ll tell an embarrassing story about him and he’ll shut up. After dinner, we’ll have coffee and dessert and chat for another hour or two and then it’ll be time to head home. Easy._

She knew she was fooling herself if she thought it would be seamless. She started running through all of the worst-case scenarios. Awkward silence at the dinner table. Bill and Mulder getting into a fight. Someone mentioning Melissa and triggering a cascade of bottled up emotions. None of these things, however unlikely, were impossible. What scared her more than anything was the thought of revealing to Mulder that she was fairly sure she was falling in love with him. She couldn’t keep it to herself forever. There’s never a perfect time to bare your soul to someone. She would never say anything at work, which was where she spent 98 percent of her time with him. This was probably as good an opportunity as any. The stakes were incredibly high. Their professional relationship and their friendship could both be on the line. She risked possibly losing one of the most important people in her life. On the other hand, if it went well, she stood to gain more than she could ever imagine. If Mulder reciprocated her feelings, all of their dreams could come true. They could have a life together that both of them only could have dreamt of before they met.

She asked God for the guidance she needed, the courage to follow her heart.

* * *

7:30 PM and so far the evening had gone off without a hitch. Scully was so relieved. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, even Bill. He was uncharacteristically jovial. He and Mulder were very civil with each other, even briefly talking about their shared love of baseball. Mostly Bill just gushed about the joys of parenthood and how he was glad to get a break from work for a few days. He and Tara spent most of the night cooing over their little one. Maggie loved having everyone together and was thrilled that Mulder was able to join them. She thought he was wonderful and she was glad Dana had a man like him by her side every day.

Scully cleared away the last of the dishes from the dining room table and joined her mother in the kitchen to wash up.

“Dinner was amazing Mom, you’ve outdone yourself this year.”

“Well thank you sweetheart. It’s lovely to have everyone together. It’s so rare nowadays for us all to be in one place, especially since Melissa…” She trailed off and Scully put her arms around her mom’s shoulders to comfort her. “Mulder seems to be enjoying himself, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah, I think he’s having a great time. It was such a good idea to invite him.” She could finally say that and mean it. She couldn’t be more pleased with how the night was going.

“He’s a great guy. You know, you two would make a great couple Dana. I’ve often thought it, but tonight I really saw how you just complement each other in so many ways.”

Scully was touched to hear her mother praise Mulder and encourage the idea of a romantic relationship with him. She decided to take it as the guidance she’d prayed for earlier in the day. It was time to tell Mulder how she felt. She helped Maggie finish washing the dishes and told her she’d be back in a little while. Mulder was in the living room visiting with Bill and Tara. He smiled as he saw her enter the room.

“I’m going for a walk. Mulder, do you want to join me? I thought I could show you where we used to play as kids. It’s just up the street.”

“Yeah, I’d love to.”

“Great. I’ll meet you out front.”

Mulder put on his shoes and walked out the front door to find Scully waiting for him. They started up the sidewalk.

“I’m really happy you were able to come tonight. Everybody loves you, even Bill.”

“Yeah…talk about a change! To tell you the truth, I almost thought of bowing out at the last minute because I was so afraid he’d freak out when he saw me tonight. But then I realized it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that you had invited me to dinner and I was excited to come.”

“I’m so glad you did. Listen Mulder, there’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a while now. I’ve just never been able to find the right time or muster the guts to do it until now.” 

Mulder was listening intently, a neutral expression on his face. He didn’t know what to expect.

“When I got my cancer diagnosis, you were there for me when a lot of people in my life couldn’t be or didn’t know how to be. You really were my rock and I don’t think I ever properly thanked you for that.”

“Scully, you don’t need to thank me for anything. I’d have done whatever it took to get you better and find out what the hell was going on. We’re a team and no one will ever harm you on my watch.”

Scully’s heart felt ready to burst out of her chest. She wished she could kiss him right then and there.

“That night at the hospital, when you kissed my forehead and held me, something in me changed. It took a while for me to realize it, but I think that night was when I started to fall in love with you.”

Letting the words escape her mouth felt like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute – indescribably exhilarating and absolutely terrifying at the same time. She looked down for a couple of seconds to steel herself for whatever his impending reaction might be. As she looked back up, he was smiling at her as their eyes met. Taking her hand in his he said “Scully, I’ve loved you since almost day one. I’ve never acted on it because I was too afraid of the repercussions if you didn’t feel the same way.”

They reached the park entrance and Scully led the way down a winding gravel pathway through a forested area. She felt a huge mix of emotions. She was ecstatic that not only did Mulder share her feelings, he had actually felt this way much longer than she had. She also felt a familiar anxiety in the pit of her stomach. What if pursuing a romantic relationship were to ruin what they’d built over the years? Almost as quickly as that thought entered her mind, it was gone. It was only allowed a few seconds of power over her and now she felt nothing but happiness. She wanted to take things to the next level with Mulder. They reached a clearing that led down to a small stream.

“This is the spot. We used to come down here, the four of us, and play for hours. Sunrise to sunset in the summer sometimes." Scully smiled fondly as she remembered the innocent days of her childhood.

“It’s beautiful,” he paused for a moment. “ _You’re_ beautiful.”

They looked at each other and locked eyes. Peering into one other’s souls, they each felt the full weight of all that had come to pass in their relationship to this point. They both knew the risks and rewards of the choice they were about to make. Scully knew that nothing had felt so right to her in a long time. Mulder, too, wanted nothing more than to start on this new uncharted path with her. He gently swept a tendril of her bright red hair away from her face, leaned in and kissed her tenderly. It was, by far, the best kiss either of them had ever had. When they finished, Scully couldn’t help but giggle. She was as giddy as a schoolgirl. She embraced Mulder and he wrapped his big protective arms around her.

“I have something else to confess actually…” Scully said.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I, uh, had a dream about us the other night. We may or may not have been doing dirty things in Skinner’s office,” she said, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

“Sounds like a XXX-File to me…” Mulder replied cheekily.

“If only you knew,” said Scully. Lent was officially over today. She realized that and just laughed. What an adventure this relationship would be.


End file.
